Scotland Car Hire

Scotland Car Hire

Scotland is a country full of stunning scenery, from highlands to lowlands, many historical places of interest and a varied and colourful culture.

Scotland Car Hire

By using the booking form below, you can get a free car hire quote or book your car directly with any of the leading car hire suppliers in Scotland, which include, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Firefly, Hertz, InterRent, Sixt and others.

Scottish Arts and Architecture

The Capital City of Edinburgh is a wonderful mixture of old and new. The City is built on a volcano and has its famous castle as an imposing landmark. The New Town was built in the 18th century, mostly in the symmetrical Neoclassical style, with smart squares and crescents, together with terraces and parks and filled with lots of shops and offices. The Georgian House in Charlotte Square is worth a visit, George Street is home to superb restaurants and designer boutiques and there are lots of antique shops and galleries in Dundas Street.

The Old Town still has its medieval character with lots of little cobbled streets and alleys. The Royal Mile has great character with its many buildings from the time of the Reformation.

You can have a tour underground to see the old chambers where many of the poor of Edinburgh used to live in dire conditions. In August the Old Town hosts the Edinburgh Festival Fringe which has a huge variety of events including comedy, music, dance, theatre, and exhibitions and is an internationally popular festival.

The National Museum of Scotland is comprised of two museums, the Museum of Scotland with artefacts to do with Scottish history and its people, and The Royal Museum which houses collections relating to subjects such as international archaeology, geology, science and technology.

Holyrood Park in Edinburgh is a park full of hills and lochs, together with glens and cliffs, a stunning area of highland terrain. It is a royal park linked with Holyrood Palace and the famous peak, Arthur’s Seat, is Edinburgh’s highest point. Holyrood Palace is an impressive baroque historical building built in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Glasgow is the biggest city in Scotland and is built by the River Clyde. It is vibrant city and cultural diverse. In the centre of the City there are many cultural venues including the Pavilion Theatre, Royal Concert Hall, Centre for Contemporary Arts, Gallery of Modern Art and Kings Theatre. There is much Victorian architecture in Glasgow such as the University of Glasgow.

In the West End of Glasgow there is an abundance of bars, cafes, tea rooms, restaurants and clubs, many with an arty style. There are many theatres to visit in the City, such as the King’s Theatre and the Theatre Royal, and its art galleries include Kelvington Art Gallery and Museum, and the city has an abundance of live music venues to enjoy.

The Scottish Landscape

The Cairngorms mountain range is a breathtaking region in Scotland’s eastern highlands and is a National Park. Five of Scotland’s highest mountains are there including Ben Macdui and the region is around 1500 square miles in size.

The area has much woodland, including the stunning Caledonian Forest with its ancient pine trees together with trees such as Juniper, Rowan, Wych Elm, Aspen and Ash, and a vast amount of plant species.

On the moors there are many birds and animals that you can see in their wild habitat. The birds in the area include osprey, golden eagle, snowy owl, red grouse, and ptarmigan, and you can see birds such as black grouse, Scottish crossbill and capercaillie in the forests. You can also see the animals of the region such as the roe and red deer, red squirrels, pine martens, and otters, together with Cairngorm reindeer.

You can relax by the lochs or take a boat ride and admire the serene waters. There is funicular railway you can take a ride on to see the area, and there are many activities you can take part in including hiking, bird watching, climbing, fishing in the lakes or skiing in one of the several sports centres in the region.

Glencoe is a region in the Highlands, which began as a volcanic eruption around 420 million years ago. It is part of National Scenic Area of Ben Nevis and Glencoe. The glen is a spectacular area with dramatic mountains around, such as the Three Sisters and Buachaille Etive Mor it and is a very popular region for climbing and walking, with the majority of the routes within simple access from the main road. There is a ski centre there and you can snowboard, mountain bike, or sail, kayak and fish in the waters. There are scenic ridges and rivers, rugged moors and in the Pass of Glencoe are attractive waterfalls.

Scottish Cuisine

Foods used commonly in Scottish cuisine include game, fish and dairy and is relatively simple. Beef, particularly Aberdeen Angus, mutton and lamb and commonly eaten meat and game includes grouse, pheasant and rabbit. Popular fish in Scotland are salmon, trout, haddock, herring and mackerel and seafood such as crab, prawns and lobster.

One of the best known dishes in Scotland is haggis, which is boiled and minced sheep’s liver, heart and lungs with onions, suet and oatmeal. The mixture is then placed in a sheep’s stomach and boiled. It is often served with tatties and neeps which are potatoes and turnips. Cullen is a soup of smoked haddock with onion and potato. Oatcakes are very popular, and are made with oats and barley cooked on a gridle, and bannock is bread with dried fruit.

Porridge is another popular Scottish food and is boiled oatmeal with salt together with milk. You can add sugar or honey but the salted version is more traditional. A full Scottish breakfast will include fried eggs, bacon, sausage, black pudding which is sausage with blood, tomatoes, mushrooms and baked beans. Dried fruit is commonly used in cakes in Scotland and include Dundee Cake with dried fruit and almonds on top, and Clootie Dumpling is a steamed fruit cake. Another traditional cake is cranachan with whipped cream, whisky, honey, raspberries and oats. Whisky is a very popular alcoholic drink in Scotland and non-alcoholic drinks that are popular include Irn Bru and Red Kola.

Whether you’re hiking in the rugged highlands, enjoying the restaurants and music scenes of the cities, or exploring old castles, you can always have an enjoyable time in Scotland.